Endangered Flower
by Creepy666Anubis
Summary: Dahlia goes missing when testing a ship. With no idea of what happened or abouther location, it's a race against time for the Pirates to find her. Will they reach her before she bleeds out, cold, alone and scared?
1. Intro: Bleeding out

_**A/N Soooooooo this was actually a dream, but then I told spicemeisje about it and she wanted me to fic it so I did XD.**_

_**Some chapters are going to have parts of songs in them, when a certain event or something reminds me of one, but they won't all have that.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**XxX**_

And in this heart of darkness

All hope lies on the floor;

All love like flame is fleeting

When there's no hope anymore

~ Hope vol.2, Apocalyptica

XxX

Somehow I managed to drag myself away from the wreckage. I couldn't stand up. Why couldn't I move my legs? Why couldn't I even feel my legs?

I tried not to panic but failed miserably. I couldn't feel my legs, I felt my life slowly seeping away and I could barely breathe.

The icing on the cake was the ship that I had crashed with.

It exploded, sending debris all over me. I covered my face in an attempt to shield it fro the most damage. If I died, at least they would be able to identify me.

If I survived, I really had to start being more optimistic.

I felt the heat at my feet (A/N THAT RHYMES!) and discovered that the fire was spreading. I had to find safety. Real fast.

But dragging yourself along using just your arms isn't fast.

Luck was on my side though, because it started to rain. The flames sizzled angrily, mad because their prey escaped them.

Somehow I found shelter in some sort of small cave.

But I had used the last of my energy and was dehydrated. On top of that, I was slowly but surely bleeding out.

I collapsed on the ground and everything went black.


	2. Where could she be?

**A/N I changed the title, just because I like this one more. It's more...poetic.**

**Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!**

**XxX**

_Whatever happened to the little lady?_

_In the darkness she's forever waiting_

_The light is gone but hope is never fading_

_Where could she be?_

_Dear missing miss Charlene_

_~ Missing Miss Charlene, Lordi_

_XxX_

'Anyone seen Dahlia?'

Wayan looked over his shoulder to Mahad. 'I did. She was repairing a ship a couple of hours ago. Said she was going to test it.'

'When?'

Wayan raised an eyebrow. Was Mahad worried?

Wayan knew that Dahlia was perfectly capable of taking care of herself and the scar on his right arm was proof of that.

On the other hand…

'A...A couple of hours ago…' he answered, realizing where Mahad was going with this. She should've been back ages ago.

XxX

Dahlia's dream

It was dark. Dahlia couldn't see a thing.

'Damn fuses.' she heard herself mutter, but it was not her voice. Well, not exactly. It was the voice she had before she reached puberty.

She walked down when the perspective changed. Now she was no longer inside "her" body, but watching herself walk down the stairs to the basement.

And then watched her eyes widen in shock as she found both of her parents there, dead.

XxX

Mila's gaze never left her pacing son. She had tried to calm him down, but all she got in return was Mahad snarling at her.

'Mahad…'

'WHAT, MOM?' It sounded more harshly than Mahad had intended, but he was slowly going nuts.

'She can take care of herself.'

'If she could, she'd be back by now. I know her longer than you mom. She doesn't take any unnecessary risks.'

He sat down. 'She's not like me.'

Mila stood up and placed her hands on her son's shoulders. 'I know, Mahad. But Cortes knows what he's doing. He'll find her.'

Mahad stared at the floor. 'I hope he does, mom. I hope he does.'

XxX

Meanwhile, Cortes, the Vector and Wayan were trying to figure out Dahlia's last location.

'When she repaired the ship, I asked her to test a new tracking device.' the Vector explained, while doing stuff with the computer that his two companions didn't even try to understand. 'If it works, we should be able to find out from where it is transmitting.'

'And what if the Sphere gets the signal?' Cortes asked.

'The chances of that are tiny to non-existant. Like I said, it is new. Their scanners are not modified to pick it up. And if they do, it's purely by chance and probably just for a second or two.'

'Two seconds could be enough for them, Vector…' Cortes said absent-mindedly, staring at something in front of him.

XxX

Groaning softly, Dahlia woke up again. Her body felt so heavy.

With the necessary trouble, she managed to lift up her head and take a look at herself.

A piece of metal - Dahlia guessed it was a part of the ship - was sticking out her left leg, but she couldn't feel it.

"Am I paralyzed?" she wondered.

The answer came quickly when she tried to move her legs but couldn't.

'Shit!' She said, panicking.

XxX

Mahad had gone to his room. He needed to be alone to think things through.

Sighing, he sat down on the bed. If anything happened to Dahlia, it would be his fault. And he'd never forgive himself.

But he had to face reality. Dahlia was missing for five hours now. Something had to have happened.

And it really was his fault.

He dropped onto the bed. "I should've been the one testing that ship." he thought, as tears started to run down his cheeks.

XxX

Dahlia dragged herself deeper into the small cave, desperate to find some protection against the strong wind. Her sides ached and her legs remained useless, nothing but dead meat.

Tears trickled down her dirty face as she realized that the Vector's new tracking device might not even work.

And if it didn't work, the chances of the Rebels ever finding her again were very low.

Her head started to feel heavy again, and the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness, was Mahad's face.

XxX

**Watch out for the next chapter! Someone is going to get hurt pretty badly...**


	3. Hope or nope?

_**A/N sorry this took so long...exams...you know how that goes.**_

XxX

_Well, I'm afraid that I_

_Well, that's right, well I may have faked it_

_~ But it's better if you do, Panic! At the disco_

XxX

'Mahad!'

Mahad growled. Patrucci…

'Why didn't you go test that ship?'

Mahad didn't react. He feared that if he did, he might not be able to control himself.

'I mean, you were the one on duty. See, this only proves that you're not trustworthy…'

'Patrucci, shut the…'

'What was your plan, huh?'

'...FUCK UP!' Those words had barely escaped from Mahad's lips when his fist made contact with Patrucci's nose. This sent the man over the railing, dropping on the floor with a loud "thud!", where he remained unmoving.

Mahad took a step back, shocked by what he had just done and barely registering all the shocked gasps from the people in the tavern. Had he...Killed Patrucci?

When he saw Patrucci getting up with a groan, his rage won from the shock, as he stormed out of the tavern, knocking Patrucci over again as he passed.

XxX

Meanwhile, Dahlia was slipping in and out of consciousness. In a moment of total clarity, she inspected the wound in her leg. She wondered if she should pull the metal out.

Probably not. She'd read somewhere that it would stop the bleeding if it stayed in there.

Well, partially in her case.

On the other hand, it might be the reason that she was paralyzed.

"But what do I gain if I can walk, only to bleed out? IF I can walk."

Before she could decide, she once again slipped away into the cloudy land of unconsciousness.

XxX

Peep peep peep peep peep peep…

"How the hell can something sound so good and yet so annoying at the same time?" Cortes thought, as the beep they had been waiting for finally sounded.

Wayan made a "yes!"-gesture. It had been kind off adorable - not really the right word to use but it was the only one Cortes could think off - to watch him fret about Dahlia. They were best friends, after all. It was pretty obvious that Dahlia was some sort of a replacement for Victoria, Wayan's little sister who got killed nearly ten years ago.

"Man. Ten years already." Cortes' mind wandered, but he snapped back to the present when Vector started to talk to him, locking the coordinates to Dahlia's location.

And all three of them hoped, or rather preyed, that she'd be safe.

XxX

Mahad kept hitting the wall of his bedroom. He fled there to avoid the mutters and the looks from the other people.

That was not what bothered him most.

The true reason he was nearly breaking his hand was that Patrucci had - annoyingly enough - been right.

He wasn't trustworthy. He had been on duty.

He had lied to Dahlia and now, she was missing and in the worst case scenario…

No. He didn't want to think of that. He shouldn't. She was alive. She had to be. She simply had to be. If she would be dead, he'd never forgive himself.

He sat down on his bed, head held in his hands.

'Mahad?'

The boy would've suspected that to come from his mother or even Lena, but to his surprise, it was neither of them.

It was Cortes.

'Can I come in?'

Cortes' usually so stern voice seemed to be slightly...Worried now.

'Yeah. Sure.'

Cortes pulled up the chair from Mahad's desk and sat down so he could face the boy.

Mahad knew the Captain was waiting for him to say something - most likely he wanted an explanation for what happened to Patrucci - but Mahad didn't know what to say.

Finally Cortes took the initiative: 'What happened with Patrucci?'

Mahad dropped his head in his hands again. 'You already know, Cortes.'

'I want to hear it from you.'

Mahad clenched his fists. 'You know what Patrucci said, right?'

Cortes nodded. Several people had told him when he came looking for Mahad, figuring he'd want to be a part of the search team.

'Is that what bothers you? What he said?'

'No, it isn't.' Mahad stood up and walked away from Cortes. He turned his back at the Captain, not wanting him to see the tears that started to well up in his eyes.

'Then what is?'

'The fact that he was right…' Mahad's voice was barely more than a whisper now.

Cortes stood up and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. 'What do you mean?'

'I was supposed to be testing that ship. But I didn't feel like it - you know, we just found mom again. I wanted to spend some time with her and Lena, so I told Dahlia I felt sick. Thanks to me...I'm the reason she's missing now!'

Cortes had no idea how to reply. Mahad had disobeyed orders and endangered another crew member, but on the other hand, he understood that the young man wanted to spend time with his mother. Cortes would never admit it, but if he ever had the chance to spend five minutes with his own mother, he'd probably react in a similar way.

Cortes was pulled out of his thoughts by Mahad, who was suddenly clinging onto his shirt in a childlike way, crying his eyes out.

Mahad felt his legs turn into jelly as he collapsed on the ground and he would've fallen badly if Cortes hadn't reacted by kneeling down at the same time, putting his arms around the boy and just sitting there.

To Mahad, it seemed like a natural response from Cortes, but in reality the red-haired man had no clue what to do.

It took only five minutes for Mahad to stop crying.

'You alright, kid?' Cortes asked once Mahad had straightened himself out.

'Yeah...Sorry…'

'Think nothing of it. I'll talk to you about your behavior later.'

'What did you come here for anyway?'

'Vector used a new tracking device on Dahlia's ship. We've got her location.'

The Captain put his hands on the boy's shoulders. 'We're going to find her. I wanted to ask you to be part of the search team.'

Mahad wiped the last tears from his eyes and nodded. Of course he wanted to find her.

XxX

Dahlia's dream

Her mother lay dead on the floor, a bullet hole neatly between her eyes. Her father lay only a few feet further, also killed in execution style.

Dahlia's hands shook as she cried.

'Mom! Dad!' No. No, it couldn't be true. This had to be a nightmare.

But Dahlia knew it wasn't.

At that moment, two hands wrapped around her little neck, wanting to snap it like a twig. She struggled to breath as the hands grew tighter around her. She couldn't breath. Darkness started to dance around the corners of her field of vision.

BANG!

The gunshot came from behind her and her mystery attacker. The heavy weight sluped down behind and she turned around to see who her savior was.

The 25-year-old redhead still had his gun raised and his eyes were scanning the cellar, half-expecting another attacker hiding in the numerous shadows. When nothing happened, however, he moved, slowly walking down the stairs and lowering his gun.

Little Dahlia pressed herself against the wall the farthest away from the man.

The man didn't try to approach her. Sensing her fear, he knelt down so he was about the same height as her. Carefully, he closed the eyes of Dahlia's mother.

'Oh Rose…' He whispered.

'H-How do you know my mother's name? Wh-Who are you?'

The man looked up. 'Your mother is an old friend of mine. We grew up together. As for who I am, my name is Aran Cortes, and I have no intention of harming you.'

XxX

Dahlia groaned again as she woke up once more. Her entire body ached as the same darkness that had played with her that time came back, happily dancing away. Only this time, Cortes wasn't there to save her.

Her eyelids felt heavy and slowly slid shut once more, unsure if they'd ever open again.

XxX

**_A/N So sorry for taking so long. A mixture of computer problems, writer's block and exams...Anyway, I felt like writing how I think Dahlia and Cortes met, although there are hundreds of possibilities. But I digress._**

**_Stay tuned for the next chappie! Will the Pirates be in time?_**


	4. See, how a man suffers all for love

_Bel_

_Astre solitaire_

_Qui meurt_

_Quand revient le jour_

_~ Lune, Bruno Pelletier_

_Translation:_

_Beautiful_

_Solitary star_

_Fading away_

_With the coming of the day_

XxX

Mahad bit his nails.

It wasn't in his habit to bite his nails, but he had to do something to keep himself busy. He was going crazy. He wanted to go faster, but he knew Cortes was already pushing the St. Nazaire. The last thing they needed now was another accident.

XxX

Still in her semi-consciousness, Dahlia could feel the life slowly dripping out of her. How many blood would she have lost now? She had been here for quite a while. Surely she couldn't take much more blood loss?

Oh well. Maybe it was better that way. Maybe she'd finally find the peace she'd wanted for so long. Maybe the dreams would stop. Maybe she'd even see her parents again!

If she could, she would've smiled at the thought.

But then again, that would mean loose Mahad.

The thought had the same effect as a bomb. No. She couldn't loose him. She couldn't leave. Not before she had told him she loved him.

Although she was getting weaker and weaker, Dahlia started to fight the darkness.

XxX

The St. Nazaire landed with little difficulty. Mahad was already on the ground before the ramp had properly been put down. He had stopped biting his nails though. There were other matters now.

He couldn't keep his eyes off the exploded mosquito, hoping that somehow she had survived.

But he had to face reality.

Chances were minimal.

Still. The chances were there.

Wayan and Cortes joined him soon and together, they went to investigate the ship.

'It's a miracle the Vector's tracker survived…' Wayan's voice trailed off.

'The Vector designed it to survive explosions.' Cortes answered, his eyes searching through the wreck. 'Alright, obviously she's not here, and any tracks she could've left will have been washed away by the rain. We'll split up and each take a side. Mahad, you go west. Wayan, take east. I'll handle north. If you don't find anything, go south. Radio contact every twenty minutes.'

The two other men nodded at the Captain's orders before leaving in the directions they were told to.

XxX

Mahad kept on worrying about Dahlia. Even if she survived the initial crash, she may have been badly injured in the explosion.

His thoughts darkened as he started thinking of the possibilities of how she could have died.

NO!

SHE WAS NOT DEAD!

"Yet." whispered a tiny voice in his mind.

"Lalalalala, not listening to guilt, lalalalala."

Oh bugger. Now he was going mad as well.

At this point, he stumbled across a small cave. Half-expecting it to be empty, he took a look inside anyway.

Yep. Nothing.

"Wait a minute...What's that…"

'Dahlia!'

As fast as his feet could carry him, he ran over to her, dropping on his knees when he reached her and carefully lifting the crumpled body up.

She was breathing. Barely.

'Dahlia…' his voice trailed off when he noticed her wounds. Several cuts and bruises were visible on her face and hands, but her legs seemed to be in the worst shape. A piece of metal stuck out of one of them, the other was only half covered by her pants and it looked like that had been bleeding a lot too. He guessed there were several pieces of shrapnell embedded in both.

'Dahlia…' he whispered in the woman's ear, wondering if she could hear him.

It was a miracle, but the young woman opened her eyes, softly moaning from pain.

She stared at Mahad with half opened eyes, and before he realized what he did, he pressed his lips against hers.

Dahlia didn't stop him, but didn't kiss him back either. Mahad pulled back wondering he might have overdone it. Dahlia just blinked and gave him the the faintest smile before she lost consciousness again.

It was only then that Mahad got the sense to call the others. She needed medical help.

Fast.

And how on earth would she react if she learned that he had lied to her and had probably put her into this mess.

That was a worry for later. They needed to get her onto the St. Nazaire, out of the cold, where they would be able to give her First Aid.

The rest could come later.

_**XxX**_

_**A/N link to the song http : / www. youtube . com / watch ? v = 1hClC3Ev17A without the spaces.**_

_**And yes, I am fully aware that the literal translation of "qui meurt quand reviens le jour" is "that dies when the day returns" but again, I like more poetic versions.**_

_**Yes, I know, I could've gone with the English version, but the truth is...I don't like it all that much. I prefer the original French version myself, although the English version is not bad.**_

_**But I digress (and this is probably my longest Author's Note EVER).**_

_**Also, I know this chapter is rather short, but I promise I'll make the next one longer.**_

_**Hope you enjoyed it! See you next time!**_


	5. Rage and guilt go hand in hand

**A/N Hmm...Music pieces seem to occur more than I had planned…**

XxX

_Die schönen Mädchen sind nicht schön_

_Die warmen Hände sind so kalt_

_Alle Uhren bleiben stehen_

_~ Wo bist du, Rammstein_

_Translation:_

_The pretty girls aren't pretty_

_The warm hands are so cold_

_All clocks have stopped_

XxX

Dahlia was still unconscious when they arrived on Puerto Angel, and didn't regain consciousness in the few days after that, either. Surgeons managed to remove the large piece of metal - now it was out, it was obvious it was a piece of the dashboard - and all the shrapnel they could find.

Now she was hooked up to several machines - including a heart monitor and a machine to help her breathe. Sure, she was capable of breathing on her own, but they didn't take any risks.

Strangely enough, she looked...peaceful. If it wasn't for the machines, you could've sworn she was asleep.

"Or dead." Mahad thought. No matter how he tried, he could not get the guilt out of his head. Just seeing her like that was proof enough that he was an idiot. Sure, he'd known that all along - many people had told him that - but it was different now someone nearly got killed because if his stupidity.

Mahad was reluctant to go see Dahlia. He couldn't bear the sight of her hooked to all those different machines. He preferred to stay as far away from her as possible.

Besides, she'd only be mad at him if she regained consciousness. She'd blame him. And she'd be right.

XxX

In the meanwhile, Mila was not only concerned for Dahlia's health, but also for her son's. He refused to talk to her or anyone else and he barely ate. It didn't take a genius to figure out something was bothering him.

She thought it was just his concern for Dahlia - it didn't take a genius to notice he was in love with her either - but she still needed him to eat.

This led to the current situation, her outside his room, with a sandwich. It wasn't much, but she still needed him to eat. She'd even be happy if he only took one small bite.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

'Come in.' Mahad sounded emotionless, almost like a robot.

When she entered the room, her son lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

'Hey mom.' It sounded a bit rehearsed, as if he actually didn't want to speak but he forced himself to.

'Hey Mahad. I brought you some food…'

'I don't want it.'

'Well, you're gonna eat it anyway!'

The only reaction she got from Mahad was him turning to his side to face the wall, quite childishly.

His mother sighed and placed the plate on his nightstand, next to his water bottle. Hmm. She should refill that too, while she was at it.

Silently, she poured the contents of her own bottle in his. She'd refill her own later. Then she put her hands on her son's shoulder. He tried to shake it off but failed.

'Mahad. I know you're worried about Dahlia, but starving yourself is not helping her.'

No response.

'Mahad…'

'SHUT UP!' he suddenly snapped, turning around and hitting his mother hard in the face. She stumbled back, surprised by his sudden outburst and by how strong he was.

In the blink of an eye, he stood next to his bed, his fists still clenched and his face in an expression of blind rage.

She had never seen her son like this, nor had he ever hit her. Although it was easy for her to restrain him from doing that again, she realized it would only feed his anger, so she did the smartest thing she could do at that moment.

She got the hell out.

XxX

'He what?'

Cortes eyes were widened in disbelief when Mile told him what happened. This was not what she'd usually do - in any other situation, she'd take care of it herself - but she thought it might be better for her son if a man talked to him.

'Why?'

'He has barely eaten the last few days. I tried to get him to eat something, but he suddenly just...Snapped. I have never seen him like this.'

Cortes shook his head, wondering what to do. Mila noticed that he was trying to decide something, and her instinct told him that he knew more than he was telling her.

'Cortes, what aren't you telling me?'

Cortes suddenly found his shoes very interesting.

'Aran!'

Cortes flinched at hearing his first name, but still found his shoes more interesting than Mila.

'Aran, please. We're talking about my son here.'

Finally he gave in and looked up.

'He's feeling guilty.'

'Guilty? Why?'

'He was supposed to be the one testing that ship. But he wanted to spend time with you and Lena - and who can blame him for that? So he told her he was feeling sick.'

Mila stared at him for a moment.

'Oh dear.' she finally said.

Cortes did not have time to say anything else, because Wayan walked in.

'I have news about Dahlia.' he said.

XxX

Mahad kept staring at the ceiling of his room. He had just taken a bite of the sandwich his mother brought him, but it tasted of nothing. So he had put it back down and went back to staring at the ceiling.

Someone knocked on the door.

'Leave me alone.'

In response, the door opened and Cortes entered the room, with a grim look on his face.

"Oh crap." Mahad thought. "Mom must've told him…"

'Mahad, first thing I want to say: I know what you're going through but hitting your mother is taking it too far.'

'Oh, just shut up you miserable idiot!' Mahad shouted. 'You have no idea how I feel!'

'I was responsible for the death of the woman I loved, so yeah, I guess I really don't know what you're going through.' Cortes clenched his fists, surprised by the revelation about himself.

Mahad, too, was taken aback by this response. He had prepared himself for various remarks, but not that one.

Cortes quickly regained control off himself and relaxed, as far as that can be said about him.

'Second thing I want to say: Dahlia had a heart attack.'

Mahad felt like he was having one as well.

'WHAT? Is she…'

'They managed to revive her.' Cortes said. 'Barely.'

Mahad shook and sat down, staring at the floor while thoughts rapidly came to him.

'How…'

'Is she doing right now? She's stable at the moment, but she can have another heart attack at any time.' The Captain sat down next to the boy, putting an arm around him. 'It might be best if you go see her. I know you don't want to, but you might not…'

Mahad raised his hand, knowing what Cortes was going to say but not wanting to hear it.

'Fine. I'll go.'

Cortes patted him on the back and stood up, walking out of the room, followed by Mahad.

Both their hearts felt heavy, as they both knew that each second could be Dahlia's last.

XxX

**A/N Yay for angst/drama! I don't know why I wanted Mahad to hit Mila, but I figured what the heck. Besides, spicemeisje told me I could do it! It's all her fault!**

**Just kiddin'. Sorry spice!**

**I like reviews btw *Big cute eyes***


	6. Coma

_She was the wind, carrying in_

_All the troubles and fears you've for years tried to forget_

_He was the fire, restless and wild_

_And you were like a moth to that flame_

_~ Funeral of Hearts, HIM_

Mahad felt like a cold hand wrapped itself around his heart as he silently watched Dahlia. Her breathing was slow, regular.

Thanks to a machine.

"Happy now, hmm? See what you've done to me!" he heard Dahlia's voice inside his head. He knew it wasn't real, but honestly, it would be what she was going to say the minute she woke up.

"IF I wake up. That's right Mahad, you probably killed me."

XxX

Cortes had left Mahad alone with Dahlia, but he had done so with a heavy heart. That girl had always been like a daughter to him. Leaving her alone, not being there for her while she needed him was going right against his instincts, but he also realised the only person who benefitted from seeing her now, was Mahad. They needed some time alone.

On the other hand, if she died…

Cortes didn't think any further, but turned around and went back to the hospital.

XxX

It was dark.

Dahlia tried to say that out loud, but something was stuck in her mouth.

Plastic.

Cylinder.

Breathing tube.

Breathing tube?!

_Fuck! I'm in a coma!_

_Wait a second...I'm thinking. Am I waking up or something?_

_No. I can't move. Can't even open my eyes. I must be conscious, but not able to move. God, this is friggin' scary._

_How did I get in this state? It's a blank…_

_Focus, Dahlia, focus! What happened?_

_Let's see...Hmm…Mahad was supposed to test a ship, but he said he felt sick. But I know for fact that wasn't true. Not that I minded. He's just got his mother back. I can't blame him for wanting to spend time with her._

_Now let's see, what happened after that?_

_Normal flight, slight problem with turbulence, minor steering flaws...nothing too bad really._

_But what happened after that?_

_The engine started making a weird noise. Did it fail or something? Well, I can't even begin to start figuring that out. I'd need to see the thing for myself._

_But it was just repaired? What could've happened?_

_Right...And after that?_

_I crashed. Ship explosion. Paralysed legs._

_Oh fuck. I still don't know whether that's permanent or not. Please please PLEASE let it not be permanent!_

_Wait...I was in a cave and then Mahad found me._

_And kissed me?_

_No, no, no, that can't be right. No way that's right. He'd never...That has to have been my imagination. I must've been unconscious. I dreamt that._

_Right?_

XxX

When Cortes reached Dahlia's room again, he found Mahad sleeping next to the bed. There was a note on the bedside table, written in a sloppy handwriting. A tiny hint of a smile tugged at Cortes's lips.

_Well, that's certainly something he got from his father._

Cortes picked it up and started to read it.

_Cortes,_

_What happened to Dahlia is completely my fault. And I think she'll know that. But still, I'm not leaving here until she wakes up. This chair will be my new best friend until that happens._

_Mahad_

The redheaded male looked up from the note and smiled slightly at the sleeping boy.

_As if I expected something else…_

XxX

_Come on Dahlia, pull yourself together. Gotta wake up now…_

_Dammit, my eyes just won't open? Why the heck can't I do anything?! This is so frustrating!_

_Okay. Relax. Breathe._

_Who am I kidding, I CAN'T BREATHE WITHOUT THIS STUPID MACHINE!_

_Relax, get your act together. Giving yourself a heart attack isn't going to help._

_Might just be the easier solution though._

_STOP THINKING LIKE THAT!_

_WHY AM I TALKING TO MYSELF?!_

XxX

'uh…'

The soft moan was barely audible, but it caught Cortes's attention and managed to wake up Mahad.

'Wha…' He muttered sleepily.

He noticed Dahlia's eyes were moving slightly. REM?

'Is she waking up?' He wondered aloud.

'Maybe.' a female voice said. Mahad had been so focused on Dahlia he hadn't noticed Cortes leaving the room and returning with a nurse. 'Could also just be random spasms though. Most people think of comatose patients as just lying still. In reality they can move and make sounds. Some even pull at their IV and tubes. I spoke with the doctor though. He is going to try and remove the breathing tube. If she can breathe on her own, that's a good sign.'

XxX

**_So sorry for the long hiatus but I went through a really rough patch in my life recently and I really couldn't find the energy nor the inspiration to write. Hopefully I will be able to finish all my projects soon though._**

**_Thanks for waiting for me._**


	7. Insecurities

**_A/N I have absolutely no excuse for taking this long - again._**

**_Hope you guys will enjoy this._**

**_I will try to get a move on._**

**_Also, I have no song for this one. If anyone happens to have a suggestion..._**

XxX

She kept breathing.

Mahad let out a sigh of relief and even Cortes relaxed. The doctor motioned for the latter to follow him.

'Is something wrong?' The redhead asked the minute they were out of Mahad's hearing range.

'Hmm, yes and no.' The two walked into the doctors office. 'I just wanted to talk to you about her recovery.'

'Again, is something wrong?'

The doctor sighed. 'Contrary to what most people think, when people wake up from a coma it's usually not as miraculous as most movies make it out to be. There's a possibility she may have forgotten how to do things. Is English her mother tongue?

'I'm not sure. Could be it's her second language. I think her mother tongue is either French or she learned both at the same time. Both of her parents were raised in French, though.'

'It's entirely possible she forgot how to speak either one of them, possibly even both. For the rest...Like I said, she may have forgotten how to do things. Repairing ships, writing, cooking,...I can go on and on really. Another problem is her paralysis.'

Cortes let out a soft groan. 'Please tell me it won't be permanent.'

'We're not exactly a medical heaven here. We'll probably know when she starts revalidation.'

'Any idea how long that will take?'

'Some people recover fast, others need more time or don't recover at all. It depends on a number of factors. First, of course, duration of the coma. Then there's the will to keep going. Some people become suicidal because they are so dependant on other people - like not even being able to take care of their own personal hygiene. It's quite an embarrassing period. However, her paralysis is not caused by the coma, but by nerve damage. As far as we can see, it's not the worst that could've happened. It's one of those things where I can only give the standard "only time will tell".'

Cortes sighed and leaned on the desk. 'Anything else I should know?'

'Yes. Her personality might have changed. There are cases of calm people becoming extremely aggressive, or the other way around.'

'Dahlia is...kind of in between…'

'What all this means, in short, is that we have no idea what her condition will be when she wakes up. Again, we don't have any state-of-the-art equipment here. We'll just have to see.'

XxX

Wayan, in the meantime, had decided to try and figure out what had caused the ships crash. After bringing Dahlia to safety, the Pirates had also recovered the mosquito. Wayan stared at all the pieces of metal before him. Some things were so badly damaged it was hard to recognise what they once were. Although one piece of metal looked a little like a bunny.

With a sigh, the man began searching for the black box, and found it. In pieces.

"Of _course _it's broken. That would be to easy." he thought. "Oh well, the old-fashioned way then."

Wayan began searching for the engine - in one or several pieces - but his mind wandered to Dahlia. Part of him wanted to go see her, but he just couldn't bring himself to actually go. And if he didn't occupy himself, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Then again, he also couldn't stop thinking about her if he did.

Finally he found something that vaguely resembled the engine, and he began to examine it carefully. He knew it would most likely be futile, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. And at least some of things resembled animals.

'Do you think she's gonna die?'

So far for not thinking about Dahlia.

Wayan turned around to face Cheng. The boy had been crying and was trembling. Even now, a few tears ran down his face.

Wayan sighed. 'I don't know Cheng. Her wounds are pretty bad. On the other hand, she's a fighter. She won't go easy, that I do know.' He sighed again. 'I really hope she survives.'

XxX

_Okay Dahlia, calm down._

_Breathe…_

_Open your eyes now girl…_

_Open…_

XxX

**_I probably got some things wrong on that whole coma thing. I did a little research on it, but maybe I still got some things wrong._**

**_Let's call it artistic liberty._**


End file.
